This invention pertains to inertial guidance systems and more specifically to such systems utilized by missiles not having active roll control.
Guidance system for missiles are defined to be "inertial" when they calculate missile position and velocity in an inertial fixed coordinate system and then processes this data to provide steering commands. Generally data calculated relative to an inertial fixed coordinate system is achieved by maintaining an inertial platform within a missile which maintains its position relative to earth space. Such systems, although quite effective, are extremely costly due to their mechanical and electronic complexity. In addition, such systems are designed to operate in missiles having active roll control.
Due to the extreme cost of producing such full up inertial platform systems, the missile guidance community has felt a long standing need to develop an inertial guidance system that is mechanically and electronically less complex and therefore less expensive to produce.